Healing What Hurts: The Birth Chart As A Guide

As an astrologer it's a no-brainer that I am a strong believer that our birth charts offer us clues about those worn and torn parts of us that are in need of healing; the parts of us that have accrued damage over the course of our lifetime due to resentments and hurts. When I look at a tough aspect in the natal chart, like a square, opposition, and sometimes the conjunction I don't see the bearer as a hopeless victim or as someone doomed to a life of failure and unhappiness. What I see is an opportunity for change. I see the chance for a person to manifest the relationships and situations that he or she truly wants in life.

I'll further explain what I mean:

I know a man who for the purposes of anonymity, we'll call George. George was born with his Moon in Libra square his Venus in Capricorn. This means that when it comes to relationships (namely with women as represented by the feminine energy of the Moon and Venus), his Moon’s needs (emotional) conflict with what he loves or deems desirable (Venus). In this case, when it comes to relationship--the area of life where we most use our Moon and Venusian energy, George is comforted by a woman who reminds him of his mother (Moon). However, he attracts and is attracted to women (Venus) who are nothing like mom (Moon). George is totally conflicted by what he needs vs. what he wants. As many of us know, this is a common issue in love. 

Since the Moon in our charts can represent our mother or the kind of nurturing energy we received as children, George probably experienced a mom that was clingy, overly self-sacrificing, and possibly manipulative; as such is Libran energy expressed in a disempowered way. Somewhere in his emotional makeup, George must have deemed or learned to deem his mother's energy as unacceptable and therefore with his Capricorn Venus, he disassociates himself from mom loving women that are detached and self-preserving (the double edged swords of Cap!).   

Unfortunately as a result of this push-pull dynamic, George is encumbered with tumultuous, short-lived relationships because his couple-oriented Moon (Libra) is put off by the Capricorn-like coldness of his lovers. A part of him is afraid of losing his independence but can’t stand being alone. Out of fear and discomfort, George then finds himself taking on his “moonish” qualities in the unhealed dynamic--he becomes clingy and manipulative thereby turning his lovers off. What George doesn't realize is that this tough aspect between his Moon and Venus is an opportunity for him to heal his hang-ups about relationships. This aspect along with the rest of his chart shows his evolutionary mission is to heal and be healed by deep lasting bonds. George is here to learn that there is strength in vulnerability.

In its essence, the birth chart is a guideline, a map. It gives us a clue as to how things work internally on the emotional, spiritual, and physical levels. When we take the time out to tap into the power of our charts, what we actually find is how best to tap into the power of ourselves. We can see where we need to heal and just how to do it.

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Cancer Season: Slow It Down

It's fitting that the peak of vacation season coincides with the Sun's passage through Cancer--as the time for closing up shop, getting away, and relaxing with loved ones falls under The Crab's jurisdiction. If Gemini season was all about hustle and bustle, then Cancer season is certainly about taking a much needed time out to catch our breath before the "boom, boom, pow!" of Leo season bursts in to shove us back into the spotlight. Like Cancer, when we hit a sensory overload of too many people, places, and things it can make us easily susceptible to moodiness, irritation, and fatigue.

One of the things that I admire about Cancers (as with all water signs) is their ability to withdraw into a self-protective "shell" when their batteries need a recharge. We have a lot going on in The Cosmos--planets going retrograde, the

Uranus-Pluto square

, the recent grand cardinal cross--and with all of this activity taking place (as above, so below) we can all use a little R & R. Cancer season is the perfect time to make a space for ourselves to get it.

Lunar Eclipse In Sagittarius: Bigger & Deffer

Def (dĕf) :
adj. Slang, def·fer, def·fest.
1. Excellent; first-rate.

Today's lunar eclipse in Sagittarius, which follows last month's solar eclipse in Gemini, continues the most recent eclipse trend on the Gemini-Sagittarius axis that began back in early 2010.  As Gem and Sag rule the zodiac's 3rd and 9th Houses (respectively) of communication, education, and travel; eclipses in these signs tend to push us toward expanding ourselves out of our immediate environment and into the unknown with the aim of learning something new.

Representing the elements of Air (Gemini) and Fire (Sagittarius), this dynamic team is most concerned with What's Out There. Their (or should I say OUR?) mission is to journey out into the world and mingle--to confer and congregate with those of various cultures, backgrounds, and expertise, to LEARN--then to bring back and share what they (I mean, WE) have learned from such experiences. Over the next six months, you will find that this too will be your mission in order to take your career, relationships, and overall self-development to the next phase. Yes, it's time to shake it up, darlings (it was getting a little musty In There, no?).

As always, when it comes to the way the Universe works, the key is for us not to become stagnant or complacent...the world is just too big to do so; there is way too much to do, see, and learn. This is the Gem-Sag mantra! Through travel, communication, and education we expand ourselves; we GROW. We become bigger and deffer, wiser, improved...and that's the point, is it not?